iOS 27 adds a slider in Settings that changes how Liquid Glass looks, anywhere from ultra-clear to fully tinted, according to Apple’s iOS 27 page. It arrives with the free update on Monday, September 14, and it is the one control Apple has published for the look of the interface itself.
Apple frames the whole change around legibility. Its iOS 27 page says Liquid Glass now delivers “exceptional readability with more uniform refraction and improved contrast”, and that app icons are sharper and more defined, with the slider on top of that as a personal preference.
Key facts: the Liquid Glass slider in iOS 27
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| What it does | Adjusts Liquid Glass “anywhere from ultra-clear to fully tinted”, in Apple’s wording |
| Where it lives | Settings > Appearance > Liquid Glass, per Apple’s iOS 27 iPhone User Guide |
| Other Liquid Glass changes | More uniform refraction, improved contrast, sharper and more defined app icons |
| Platforms with the slider | iOS 27, iPadOS 27 and macOS 27 Golden Gate |
| Release | Monday, September 14, 2026, free |
| Compatible iPhones | iPhone 11 and later, plus iPhone SE (2nd generation and later) |
| Apple Support step list | Published in the iOS 27 iPhone User Guide, under “Adjust iPhone display and text settings” |
How to change the Liquid Glass look, step by step
These steps follow Apple’s iOS 27 iPhone User Guide, which puts the control under Settings > Appearance > Liquid Glass.
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- Install iOS 27 on a supported iPhone. Apple lists the update as available starting September 14, free, for iPhone 11 and later.
- Open Settings.
- Tap Appearance, then tap Liquid Glass.
- Drag the slider to the right to increase the tint of Liquid Glass, or to the left to make it more clear.
- Leave Settings and check a busy screen: a Home Screen over a bright wallpaper, Control Center or a scrolling web page in Safari, where translucency has the most effect on legibility.
- Go back and nudge the slider again. Apple presents this as a personal preference rather than an accessibility toggle with a single correct setting.
If you cannot find the slider
- Check that the update installed. Apple’s compatibility list runs from iPhone 11 and iPhone SE (2nd generation) upward, and an iPhone older than that will not get iOS 27 at all.
- Do not expect an on or off switch. Apple’s guide describes a slider under Settings > Appearance > Liquid Glass, not a toggle.
- If the slider does not change the look, check Accessibility. Apple’s guide says that if you turned on Reduced Transparency or Increased Contrast in Accessibility settings, you need to turn them off to change the look for Liquid Glass.
- Remember that the position is per device. Apple has not said whether the choice syncs across an iPhone, iPad and Mac signed in to the same Apple Account.
- If you are hunting for the setting on Apple Watch, Apple has not published a slider for watchOS 27. Only iOS, iPadOS and macOS are described with one.
What changed in Liquid Glass itself
The slider is only half of it. Refraction is what makes a translucent panel bend the colors behind it, and Apple says that behavior is now more uniform, with improved contrast on top. In practice those are the two variables that decide whether text on a glass panel stays readable over a busy wallpaper or a photo.
On the Mac, Apple went further and describes macOS 27 Golden Gate as reincorporating cornerstone macOS elements: a more uniform toolbar across the top of apps, edge-to-edge sidebars and colored sidebar icons, plus the same tint slider. iPadOS 27 shares the iPhone changes, including the sharper icons.
What Apple has not said
- How many steps the slider has.
- Whether the setting syncs between devices or is stored per device.
- Whether third-party apps follow the slider automatically or need an update from their developers.
- Whether a fully tinted setting changes battery use, given that translucency is a rendering cost.
- Anything about a Liquid Glass slider on watchOS 27, tvOS or visionOS 27.
iOS 27 is free from Monday, September 14 for iPhone 11 and later, and it comes preinstalled on the iPhone 18 Pro, which starts at $1,199 and reaches stores on September 18. Our iOS 27 release date guide has the full feature list, and the event recap covers everything else from September 9, including the iPhone Duo that ships in October.
